RRC Lesson: Breading Can Breed Bacteria

Greensboro, NC -- Inspectors docked an area restaurant for "reusing chicken breading." Besides sounding gross, it can actually be a serious health hazard.

Chef Keith Gardiner with GTCC's Culinary Technology Department explains. "First, standard breading procedure is flour, egg wash, then bread crumbs. Every four hours, all of this should be discarded and you should start with fresh because in four hours the bacteria in the eggs and the moisture have enough time to start to grow. Specifically at room temperature is where bacteria grows the fastest."

Gardiner said no food should sit for more than four hours. "They keep it for too long. So they make it on the morning and use it all day."

And he said people should never use the eye test. "Because that breading looks ok, they put in under the table and leave it out for days in some cases."

Gardiner said the solution is simple. "You can have this made up in a big batch, you get some, do your breading, throw away what you use, bring out a little more."

Restaurants can lose up to three points for not handling breading properly.